Houston Dynamo 1, Sporting Kansas City 1 | 2019 MLS Match Recap

On a hot and humid Saturday evening at BBVA Compass Stadium, the Houston Dynamo and Sporting Kansas City traded second-half goals in a 1-1 draw. 

Aside from several assured stops from SKC goalkeeper Tim Melia, quality chances were lacking for much of the first hour. Shortly after, both teams made a Grade-A opportunities count.

First came SKC in the 63rd minute, as Yohan Croizet sprung onto an Ilie Sanchez cross-field switch, beating Adam Lundkvist to a 50-50 ball. The Frenchman then lofted an onrushing Joe Willis with a chip, cushioning home an inch-perfect shot into the open goal.

Houston didn’t trail for long, as an Alberth Elis half-volley made it 1-1 in the 69th minute. After right back A.J. DeLaGarza headed a Maynor Figueroa cross back into play, the Honduran winger made no mistake.

Both teams pushed for a late go-ahead strike, but that never arrived.

Goals

• 63' – SKC – Yohan Croizet | WATCH
• 69' – HOU – Alberth Elis | WATCH

Three Things 

THE BIG PICTURE: All things considered, this was a quality point for SKC in a game that served as their third contest in seven days. They went 1-1-1 during that stretch before playing their next three league matches on the road, with a June 12 US Open Cup match against Minnesota United making it four. Meanwhile, Houston remains undefeated at BBVA Compass Stadium, holding a 6-0-3 record at home. They’re now 1-2-2 across their last five matches, so certainly cooling off some.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH
: Yohan Croizet’s goal, if not for a quick response from the Dynamo, would have been a sensational game-winner. His chip over Dynamo goalkeeper Joe Willis got all the measurements right. He was deployed as a right winger, too, having already played this season at outside back and in midfield.

MAN OF THE MATCH: SKC goalkeeper Tim Melia gets the nod here for finishing with three saves on an evening where his teammates clearly had heavy legs. It wasn’t flashy, but his stop on Boniek Garcia in second-half stoppage time proved vital in preserving a hard-earned point. 

Next Up

• HOU: Tuesday, June 11 vs. Austin Bold FC, US Open Cup (8 pm ET | ESPN+)
• SKC: Friday, June 7 at Toronto FC (7 pm ET | TSN2, MLS LIVE on ESPN+)